Sunday, August 10, 2008

For our summer vacation this year we went on the first annual Hunt/Gainor Family vacation. Our destination was the land of the great white north, hockey, the looney, the phrase "eh", and the word BEG..."would you like a beg for that, no I won't beg, I'll pay for my item, but a BAG would be nice" Dan's most embarassing, yet favorite line to say! If you haven't guessed by the title, then yes, we went to Canada. It was a wonderful trip and one of the most beautiful places that we've been to. Not to mention the incrediable home of Jonathan's parents, filled with fresh air, flowers, good conversation, the softest linens in the world and AWESOME food and baked goods...Thanks Gainor parents! Here we are on the ferry ride from Washington to Vancouver Island. We even got to see some killer whales off in the distance.

We spent our first night in Seattle. For those of you raised by wolves in a cave, that is the Spaceneedle behind us. The view at the top was amazing. We were glad we brought the duct tape to tie up our kids in case they got out of hand, but who would have guessed it would have come in so handy to complete the back seat entertainment center.A tender moment before getting on the ferry to Canada.

Barbs Place Fish n' Chips in Victoria Harbor. We almost walked around the whole island to find this place. But it was well worth the walk. It was a very popular place, we had to turn away three sets of grannies that wanted to sit at our table. The Empress Hotel in Victoria. I don't think Jonathan knew he was in the picture. Because if he did know, he surely wouldn't be standing there with his hand on his hip like that. Very cute Jonathan. Moments after leaving the Empress Hotel on our way to do some shopping, we were vicously attacked by some Canadians....birds that is. I was in front pushing Mackenzie, when all of a sudden I heard a splatter all around my feet, like someone had poured a bucket of mud off the top of the building. Then I heard a scream from behind me. The splatter was bird poo hitting the cement, what I didn't hear was all of the poo that hit Janay in the head, back, face, and Jonathan's back. This all happened in front of a corner cafe with everyone watching and laughing. A lady walked by and told Janay, "welcome to Canada." Melissa performed an emergency wash on Janay's head with a bottle of water and hand lotion. But the hand lotion was no match for the overwhelming stench of seagull excrement with a seafood diet.

On Friday we went deep sea fishing in the Pacific Ocean for Salmon and Halibut. For fear of losing our lunches we all wore sea sickness patches, and took a dramamine pill. This cocktail of seasickness medication, and waking at 4 in the morning made for a tiring day, but we all had a good time. We caught a couple of Red Snaper, and walked away with our lunches intact. It may be July, but that memo didn't quite make it to Canada, it was COLD up there!!

On Saturday we went to the Buchart Gardens. Definitely the most beautiful gardens I have ever been to.Kenzie smelling the flowers. And what would a family vacation be without running out of clothes for your boy! We stopped at Taco Bell before all of our flights took off, but at Taco Bell, no shirt, no shoes, no service. Since Isaac's clothes were currently soaked, his sister was kind enough to lend him a sweater so he could enjoy a cheesy roll up inside.

Thanks Gainor family for doing all of the work to organize this vacation for us! We had a great time, and look forward to the 2nd Annual Hunt/Gainor Vacation!!

PS...don't forget your permanent resident card. Jonathan forget his card and was held up at US immigration, he barely made it on the ferry back to Washington. He sprinted to get to the boat and within seconds from leaping from the dock to the boat, the boat pulled away. It was a close call.

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comments:

Wow! Canada is gorgeous! My parents love it there but I've never personally been. Glad you kept your lunch intact, glad Janay's head is fine, and don't let anyone tell you that you're heathens for not giving up your seats for those grandma's. They can find another one! (you know I'm kidding right?) LOL! Glad you had fun!!

Wow, that post makes me want to learn how to speak Canadian! Those gardens are gorgeous, and the pics from the boat remind me of a Puget Sound science boat expedition I went on in 8th grade...ah the memories of cutting open a sea cucumber and thinking it was soo gross..then eating one a few years later in Japan and learning that, in fact, it is real gross. Thanks for the tasty salmon and halibut though, Deeeelish.

Janay, I'm so sorry about the birds! It looks like you still had a lot of fun! We're going to Alberta next week, I'm totally freaked out to camp for a week in the Canadian wilderness. If they ask me if I want a "beg", I'll probably bust out laughing.

You guys are so popular! Look at how many comments you have :). So the garden is beautiful! And we love the picture of Kenzie smelling the flower. It appears as if you are smelling Jonathan's behind in the poop picture. I want to hear about this "beg" story. And my last comment/question is: why is Makenzie so stinkin' cute!? Love you!Becca

Wow you guys are doing lots of fun things this summer. We got to check out Niagra Falls on our 1yr anniversary, but thats our only Canada experience. Paul just has a blog for his belts. He wants me to spruce it up for him.

Hey Dan, It's Dan Richardson from a long time ago. Looks like things are going well with your family. Cute kid. Super cool that your going to law school, but what about your career in making glasses? Keep in touch and check out our family blog at richardsonfamilyweb.blogspot.com

I've never been a big fan of Canadians, I'd have to say (As Mos Def would say, I HAD a bad experience)... but it looks like you guys had a lot of fun. Lots of vacations this summer, eh? Anyway, hope things are going well for you guys.

About Me

We met as teachers at the MTC.
We got married in the Salt Lake Temple.
We currently live in Sacramento.
Dan is an estate planning attorney at a law firm here in Sacramento.
Janay is a full time Mom.
Things we enjoy
*Traveling
*Family and Friends
*The Office (The finer Things club)
*American Idol (even Dan likes it)
*Golf (That's all Dan)